The music industry, as regards record
sales, is still in transition and on the ropes thanks to piracy ("bootlegging")
both on the Internet and on the streets but 2011 was actually the first year
since 2001 where music sales didn't shrink ten percent or more from the year
prior. In fact ,there was an actual increase. Likely many folks came to
realize that illegal downloads and fake copies of cds just aren't as good as the
real thing. During a Web seminar presentation by NARM, SoundScan senior VP
David Bakula reported that total music sales through Oct. 30 climbed to
353 million units, vs. 336 million in 2010. Overall album sales were up 3% over
last year, with 249 million albums sold versus 242 million last year. Digital
album sales boomed 19.7% to 81 million, but physical album sales continued to
decline, dropping 3.5%, with 168 million sold this year. However, Bakula noted
that the drop in CD sales has abated somewhat, following 2010's precipitous 20%
decline.

Unfortunately that increase doesn't
trickle down to Southern Soul since stores like Wal Mart don't stock much if any
Blues. Thus we must stress again. BUY your Southern Soul and Blues legally from
a legitimate source. If you want to "stick it" to the music industry just direct
that anger toward major labels, ie "popular" music .

The Southern Soul world lost some members
of it's family this year. RIP Marvin Sease, J. Blackfoot, Reggie P and Lee Shot Williams.

This year we added a couple new categories
to the voting process. "Best Song That Should've Been A Hit" and "Most
Underrated Veteran"

2012 is already shaping up to be a great
year. Garland Green (of "Jealous Kind Of Fella") is releasing his first album in
30 years on February 7th. At the same time there is heavy buzz surrounding Vel
Omarr, who brings back the old school sound of Sam Cooke. Additionally, new
albums are expected (and overdue) in the first quarter from the likes of Sir
Charles Jones, T.K. Soul, Barbara, O.B. Buchana, Donnie Ray, Sir Jonathan Burton
and more....

FYI: Winners in the
annual Blues Critic Awards for Southern Soul are strictly based on a Voting
Process. We do not choose the winners. Every year tens of thousands of website visitors choose from an online ballot
posted in December. The only award picked by the Blues Critic staff is "Southern
Soul Artist Of The Year". This year we chose. Vick Allen. God bless....

Best Southern Soul/R & B
Album

Donnie Ray "Who's Rockin' You" (Ecko)

Mel Waiters rebooted his own label Brittney
Records and released the successful "Say What's On Your Mind". Willie
Clayton released two well-received albums (including the nominated "The
Tribute: One Man One Voice"). Carl Sims ("Hell On My Hands") and Sheba
Potts-Wright ("Let Your Mind Go Back") returned strong. Former "Best New Artist"
Stephanie Pickett and Lacee' further cemented their status as the very best
female singers out there with "A Woman's Soul" and "Soulful"
respectively. Nevertheless, This year's top vote earners were runnerup Kenne'
Wayne ("The MVP") and this year's "Best Southern Soul/R&B Album" Donnie Ray
"Who's Rockin' You".

Best Soul Blues Album

Bobby Rush "Show You A Good Time" (Deep Rush)

While this genre ("Southern Soul Blues") is
often referred to as either just "Soul Blues" or "Southern Soul" there is a
difference between "Southern Soul" and actually "Soul Blues". For the second
year in a row Bobby Rush gets the prize. This year for "Show You A Good Time".
Other nominees were Grady Champion "Dreamin'" (Runnerup), Travis Haddix "Old
Man In Love", Roy Roberts "Strange Love", Vernon Garrett "Don't
Fall In Love With Me", Dr Feelgood Potts "Memphis Blues International",
Johnnie Rawls "Memphis Still Got Soul", Little Phil "Never Gonna Give
You Up", Maurice Davis "Play Boy" and Uvee Hayes "True Confessions".

Best Southern Soul/R & B Song

"When You Get Drunk" by Mel
Waiters (Brittney)

This was an extremely close race. No one song
stood out head and shoulders above the pack but, rather, 8 all battled fiercely
for the 2011 Blues Critic Award. Carl Marshall's poignant "I Lived It All", Sir
Jonathan Burton's "Too Much Booty Shakin'", Latimore's "A Woman's Love", Lacee's
"I Can't Say No", newcomer Klass Brotherhood Bands' "Sugaa Shack", The
Revelations feat Tre Williams with Vick Allen ("I Gotta Have It") and runnerup
Floyd Taylor "(Time Out) Cut To The Chase" were within 50 votes of winner for
Best Southern Soul/R&B Song of 2011 "When You Get Drunk" by Mel Waiters.
Interestingly, Mel released a new non-album song, "No Curfew" later in the year,
which will be eligible next year.

Best Song That Should've Been A Hit

"If You Only Let Me Kick It Witchu" by
Mister Zay (CDS)

This was one of two new
categories added this year in order to give more credit to where credit was due.
Also, by saying "Should've Been" a hit doesn't mean it's too late for any of
these songs to become a hit this year. This category contains songs released in
2011 that voters felt should've gotten more airplay but, for whatever reason,
were not high on the charts in 2011. Runnerup OB Buchana (for "We Don't Get
Along Until We're Gettin' It On") did have a hit with the title track of his
album ("That Thang Thang") but voters believed he had more than one on that
album. Mr Sam's "Put A Little Water With", released on Ecko Records, the Marvin
Sease-tribute "Gone On Pt. 2" by Larry Shannon Hargrove, Bobbye Doll Johnson's
"Cheaters Never Win" and "I'll Be There For Ya" by golden voiced Vel Omarr were
also highly rated by fans as deserving "hit" status. The winner, however, was
Mister Zay for "If You Only Let Me Kick It Witchu" (produced by Carl Marshall).
Perhaps this category will give these songs a second chance this year.

This was an obvious choice.
Sir Jonathan Burton's "Too Much Booty Shakin'" was one of the most popular
songs of the year and even had it's own dance. Still, last year's winner Ms Jody ("Southern Soul Dip"), Jim Bennett ("The Body Roll"), Ricky White
("Stacked In The Back") and runnerup Mel Waiters ("When You Get Drunk") got a
fair share of votes as well. Special note: Kenne' Wayne's smash "Ride It Like A
Cowboy" peaked last year but was still a popular hit in the clubs, especially
Louisiana.

Best Down Home Blues Song

"Make
That Monkey Jump" by Grady Champion

Thanks in great part to Jackson, Mississippi's
WMPR Grady Champion's fun "Make That Monkey Jump" has been voted "Best Down Home
Blues Song" for 2011. It beat out heavy contenders like "Sniffers" by Bobby Rush,
Travis Haddix' cheeky "Cialis Before I See Alice" and runnerup "I'm Your
Maintenance Man" by Omar Cunningham. Other nominees were Nellie Tiger Travis for
"I Ain't Gonna Raise No Grown Ass Man", "Love Monkey" by Donnie Ray, "Ex-Wife
Blues" by Cherone Brown, "Jammin' On The Blues" by Chuck Roberson, "Don't
Treat Me Like Stepchild"
by TJ Hooker-Taylor, "Hungry Woman" by Pat Cooley and "Hey Baby" by Roy Roberts

Best Vocal Performance
FEMALE

Stephanie Pickett on "Only Time I Get Lonely" (Aviara Music)

Runnerup Lacee already won for
"Best Slow Jam" with "Can't Say No" and she very nearly was voted "Best Vocal
Performance FEMALE" as well. This was not to be thanks to big-voiced Stephanie
Pickett, who picked up the award for her bouncy hit "Only Time I Get Lonely"
with a mere 21 votes more than Lacee'! We were tempted to call it a tie being
that over 23,000 votes were cast in this category and a mere 21 vote difference. Other notables were Ms. Jody for "When You're Give A
Damn Don't Give A Damn No More", Sheba Potts-Wright for "I've Done All I Can", Uvee Hayes for "Steal Away To The Hideaway", Pat Cooley for "Hungry Woman",
Diedra for "Rent Man", Bobbye Doll Johnson for "Cheaters Never Win" and Monro
Brown for "I'm In Love With A Man"

Best Vocal Performance MALE

Willie Claytonon "Be With Me" (EMG)

Lots of product has been pouring in
from Mr. Clayton as of late. From 2008 until the end of last year six
full albums have been released. (2 in 2008; "My Tyme", "Soul
And Blues", 1 in 2009, "Love, Romance & Respect" and 3
(!) in
2011, including the album from which "Be With Me", this year's winner
for "Best Vocal Perfomance: MALE" was extracted- "The Tribute: One
Man, One Voice"). Runnerup Carl Sims also released one of his
best ballads in years with "Hell On My Hands". Other fan faves included
J. Blackfoot, Patrick Green, Al Lindsey, Mister Zay, Vick Allen, Tre
Williams, TK Soul and Floyd Taylor.

"Best New Artist" is the
most hotly-contested race annually with fans of each artist voting
incessantly to help the artist get noticed. This year's crop
accidently included a longtime veteran, Shirley Jones, who we mistook as a different Shirley Jones than the one who sang with The
Jones Girls. Despite little fanfare she still managed to be "runnerup"
as 'Best New Artist" in the Southern Soul world, despite having only
released one song ("Totally Confused"). Other nominees were Adrena,
Charles Blakely, LGB, Sonny Mack, Monro Brown, Gina Brown, G'Cue,
The Unxpected, Fel Davis and The Klass Brotherhood Band. ALL
received a fair share of votes. The winner, however, was former
America's Got Talent competitor Queen Emily of Malaco Records.
Malaco released a four track sampler in the U.S., "Queen Emily Sings",
while the full self-titled release has only been released in the United
Kingdom and parts of Europe

Most Underrated Veteran

Luther Lackey

New category this year: "Most
Underrated Veteran" is Mississippi's Luther Lackey. He's one of the best
out there but always seems to be stepped over. He has released five albums thus
far with hits like "I'm Scared Of Getting Caught", "I Should Have Stayed
Scared", "If She's Cheating I Don't Want To Know" & "It Ain't Easy Being The
Preacher's Wife"

Carl Marshall had won this award two years in a row
and runner-up John Ward is always near the top but Mel Waiters re-booted his
Brittney Records label and put out strong tracks on himself, Charles Wilson,
Chandra Calloway, Hog Pin, Lomax & more. Other nominees were Pete
Peterson, Simuel Overall aka Simeo, Vick Allen, Bigg Robb, Morris J. Williams,
Archie Love, Ron Johnson and Frank McKinney.

The BLUES CRITIC staff
pick...

SOUTHERN SOUL ARTIST OF THE
YEAR

VICK ALLEN

Although he didn't "win" any
of the voting awards by himself he was amongst the top (as he seems to be every
year) in each category he was in. Despite not releasing a new album in 2011 he
placed two songs from his 2009 album, "Truth Be Told", on the charts ("I Need Some Attention", "I'm Thankful
For My Woman On The Side") and was featured on two other hits in 2011 ("Haters
Gone Hate" by TK Soul Omar Cunningham Vick Allen and "I Gotta Have It" by The
Revelations feat Tre Williams with Vick Allen). This goes along with his
writing, production and live performance work for the year